Krasnogorsk 3 Manual (2008)

The Krasnogorsk-3

Operating Instructions

Sold by NCS Products, New York

http://www.k3camera.com/

Krasnogorsk-3 Owner’s Manual

[6] Viewfinder[7] Light Meter FPS Dial[8] Light Meter Power Switch[9] Light Meter ASA/ISO Knob[10] Pistol Grip[11] Lens Focus[12] F-Stop Adjustment[13] Trigger[14] Speed Control[15] Winding Handle

[16] Film Cutter[17] Feed Spindle[18] Footage Counter Arm[19] Footage Counter[20] Take-Up Spindle[21] Single-Frame Release Hole[22] Magazine Cover Release

[23] Film Guide[24] Main Sprocket[25] Release Pin[26] Front Assembly[29] Film Gate


© 2003 NCS Products rev 3.00 of 6

INTRODUCTIONCongratulations on your purchase of one of the best things ever made in the USSR, the

Krasnogorsk-3 motion picture camera! Built as rugged as a T-72 Tank and as precise as theMIR space station, the K-3 will give you many years of reliable use. Refer to the diagrams on thefinal page and take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the controls and mechanism of thecamera. We’ve included a short length of 16mm film you can use to practice loading.

LOADING THE CAMERA1. Select a clean dust-free area away from direct sunlight,2. Wind the camera a few times (it winds counterclockwise).3. Adjust the camera speed control knob to 8 frames-per-second,4. Flip the camera over so that the lens is pointed to your left and remove the magazine

cover. Place the cover down gently and try not to get it dirty.5. Remove any empty daylight reels from the camera.6. Spray a burst of compressed air into the magazine to blow away any dust or debris. Check

the film gate by opening it slightly (or removing it). [To remove the film gate push it open to itswidest and gently pull it upwards.] If the gate does not appear to have any hairs or dustaccumulated don't clean it! If it is dirty use a Q-tip or orange wood stick to clean it. You shouldnever clean the gate with compressed air as some types can leave a harmful residue on the lensor mirror elements.

7. Unpack your unexposed film. Unroll approximately 18 inches of film and place the roll onthe top spindle of the magazine so that the film comes off the bottom of the roll. Remember topush the footage counter arm aside when placing the film on the spindle.

8. Place the end of the film into the feed side (top) of the sprocket assembly. If the end of thefilm is jagged use scissors or the film cutter located inside the magazine to trim it straight.

9. Slowly feed the film into the sprocket assembly by pressing the trigger on the front of thecamera. Watch the film carefully, if it starts to jam push, pull, or guide the film as necessarythrough the camera until it has emerged from the take up side of the sprocket assembly.

10. The film should be pressed against the plastic guides located at the top and bottom of thegate (this is your film loop). If the film has pulled away try to adjust it to the proper size by gentlypulling film into the loop from the feed side of the sprocket assembly. You can open the sprocketassembly on the feed or take-up side to make adjusting the loop easier by lifting the smoothround pin (#25 in diagram) on the bottom or top of the assembly.

11. Run some film (at least two feet) and make sure the film is running through the cameraproperly. If running properly the film will emerge without scratches or ripped sprocket holes fromthe take up side of the sprocket assembly.

12. If you notice the pressure plate pulsing in and out as you run film, this means the pulldownclaw is not engaging the film properly. Pull out the pressure plate and slide the film so that thepulldown claw is engaged. You might have to shorten the take-up loop.

13. Wind the excess film snugly around an empty daylight reel by turning the reel in aclockwise direction. Then place the reel onto the take up spindle.

14. Replace the side cover and lock it in place.15. You are ready to film! If you hear a sudden change of sound from the magazine while

filming it may be a good idea to check on it. Opening the camera in the middle of a roll will onlyexpose approximately four to eight feet of film. If your camera should for some reason jam, try toadjust the film so that it runs smoothly. In the event you have to rip the film to free it eitherremove the original take up real and start another by following the loading sequence, or splicethe film back together but make sure you make a note of the film break for the lab.

On some K-3’s the plastic film guides have been removed. In this case, just make the loop

manually. The top loop should have about 4 perforations visible. The bottom loop about 7. Aslong as the camera runs properly, exact loop size is not critical.



WINDING THE CAMERA

The spring motor uses a governor to maintain a constant film speed from the beginning of ashot until the spring has wound out. To wind the spring use the winding lever located on the sideof the camera. Lift the handle into a vertical position and turn it counter-clockwise. Wind thecamera as much as needed or until the lever encounters resistance. The camera will run forapproximately 25 seconds at 24fps when wound completely. At higher speeds the camera willrun for less time.

SPEED CONTROLThe K-3 has a variable speed control for frame rates between 8 and 48 frames per second.

Camera speeds in excess of 48 and less than 8 frames per second are also possible, but difficultto determine accurately. To change the speed turn the speed control to the appropriate setting.Normal speed is 24 fps, lower speeds create speeded up motion and faster speeds create slowmotion. DO NOT RUN AT HIGH SPEED WITHOUT FILM.

SHUTTER SPEEDThe shutter speed is dependent on the filming speed. Refer to the chart below.

Filming Speed(fps)

ShutterSpeed

8 1/2012 1/3016 1/4024 1/6032 1/8048 1/120

(single frame) 1/30

THE VIEWFINDERThe camera can be adjusted so that a person with other than 20/20 vision can use the

camera without glasses. To do this you must adjust the camera's viewfinder (also called adiopter) to your eye. First loosen the small screw above the viewfinder. Then focus the cameraon infinity, open the lens to F-1.9, and point the camera at a bright object. Next while lookingthrough the viewfinder focus the grain visible in the viewfinder until it is sharp and clear, byturning the viewfinder to the left and right. If you have difficulty focusing on the grain in theviewfinder you can remove the lens from the camera by unscrewing it from the body, and thenattempt to focus on the grain. Tighten the screw on top of the viewfinder to lock it in place.

Sometimes particles of dirt can be on the ground-glass and show up in the viewfinder. Thesewill not affect the image on the film. If they bother you there are two ways to clean the ground-glass.

To get to the ground-glass, you must first remove the lens. Just unscrew if your K-3 has ascrew-mount. To remove a bayonette-mount lens, push the two little knobs clockwise about 10degrees, then pull the lens straight out.

If you look into the mirror, you will see the reflection of the ground-glass (it is above themirror). You can brush away little dust particles with a small paintbrush. If that doesn’t work, youcan use a swab damp with alcohol to clean the ground-glass. Be gentle and patient. You willfind that it might take a few tries to get it clear. In the beginning, you’ll just move the dirt around.

ANIMATION / TIME-LAPSEThe Krasnogorsk-3 can shoot one frame at a time for animation or time-lapse. There is a

small hole at the rear of the camera where a cable release screws in. Any standard cablerelease used for 35mm film cameras can be used. Press and release firmly and smoothly, andone frame of film will be exposed.



Cover the viewfinder when shooting single-frame to prevent light leaking in and fogging thefilm. The cap from a 35mm film canister is a perfect fit (pull off the rubber eyepiece and snap onthe cap). Also, cap the lens between exposures if the time between exposures is greater then10-20 seconds. What you set the speed control dial to doesn’t make a difference in the single-frame shutter speed (about 1/30th sec). It’s best to just leave it at 24.

FILTERSThe K-3 comes with either five or three filters. The filters can be used by simply screwing

them into the front of the lens (the sunshade must be removed). One filter or a combination offilters can be used to achieve the desired effect. Remember that in using any of the filters(except the UV) you will be decreasing the amount of light entering into the camera so you mustcompensate.

• Ultra Violet (or haze): This filter is used with color film stocks to compensate for the bluishtint ultra violet light can cause when shooting outside. It can be left on with black and whitefilm to protect the lens.

• Neutral Density: This filter is used when shooting on very bright days to reduce the amountof light entering the lens by four stops. The filter does not change the image recorded by thecamera in any other way.

• +2 Diopter: This is not really a filter, but acts to halve the minimum focusing distance froman object. It’s the one that magnifies.

• Light Yellow 1.4: This is used in black and white filming to darken the sky or other blueobjects in the scene.

• Dark Yellow 2.0: This filter will make the sky or other blue objects darker and add to contrastin black and white filming.

The K-3 uses standard 77mm filters. Try a red filter for shooting with black and white filmand a polarizing filter when shooting color outdoors. You don’t need an expensive “circularpolarizer” for the K-3, a “linear polarizing” filter will work fine.

FOOTAGE COUNTERThe built-in footage counter works automatically when the camera cover is shut. The counter

reads the footage remaining on your film roll in five meter increments. When fully loaded thecounter will read 30 and when empty, 0. A standard 100 foot daylight load will read 30 whenunused, 15 when 50 feet remains, and 0 when empty.

CARE AND MAINTENANCEYou will find your Krasnogorsk-3 motion picture camera to be reliable, rugged and capable of

taking many abuses. However, it is also a precision instrument and care should be taken to keepit in fine working order. Just follow these simple precautions and you should receive years if notdecades of faithful performance from your camera.

• When cleaning the lens, filters, mirror or eye piece use only lens paper and MINIMALamounts of cleaning solution.

• When cleaning the interior use compressed air, a dry Q-tip, or a Q-tip dampened with aminimal amount of rubbing alcohol.

• DO NOT RUN THE CAMERA AT HIGH SPEED WITHOUT FILM.• WIND GENTLY and DO NOT OVER-WIND THE CAMERA• When storing the camera run the spring out.• Keep the camera in a cool dry place away from solvents and areas where the camera can be

subject to rapid temperature changes.• Avoid subjecting the camera to rapid temperature changes. Be especially aware that bringing

a cold camera into a warm, moist environment can cause damaging condensation to forminside the camera.

• Replace the lens cap after use. Avoid cross-threading the lens cap!



CAMERA SPECIFICATIONS

Film Type 16mm single or double perforationMaximum film load 100 foot daylight loadFrame rate 6-50 fps and single-frame

Lens 17-69mm F1.9 ZoomLens Thread M42x1, “Pentax screw mount” or BayonetteLens Filter Size 77mmMinimum focus 2 meters/ 6.6 ft (1 meter using diopter)

Viewing Rotating-mirror reflexViewfinder diopter +5 to -4Shutter angle 150 degrees

Krasnogorsk 3 Manual (2008)

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Transcript of Krasnogorsk 3 Manual (2008)